Evaluation for the real world : the impact of evidence in policy making / Colin Palfrey, Paul Thomas and Ceri Phillips.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Palfrey, Colin, 1939-

Contributor:

Thomas, Paul (Paul Randal), 1945-

Phillips, Ceri.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political planning--Evaluation.

Political planning.

Physical Description:

vii, 248 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Bristol : Policy, 2012.

Summary:

Evaluation research findings should be a key element of the policy-making process, yet in reality they are often disregarded. This valuable book examines the development of evaluation and its impact on public policy by analyzing evaluation frameworks and criteria which are available when evaluating public policies and services. It further examines the nature of evidence and its use and non-use by decision-makes and assesses the work of influential academics in the US and the UK in the context of evaluation and policy making. The book emphasizes the 'real world' of decision-makers in the public sector and recognises how political demands and economic pressures can affect the decisions of those who commission evaluation research while providing recommendations for policy makers on adopting a different approach to evaluation. This is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of policy analysis and public sector management, and those who are involved in the planning and evaluation of public policies and services. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Evaluation in the political and academic worlds 1

2 What is meant by evaluation? 17

3 Designing evaluations 55

4 Selecting evaluation criteria 93

5 Developments in economic evaluation 125

6 The impact of evaluation on decision making 157

7 The future for evaluation 195

8 Concluding thoughts 233.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781847429155

1847429157

9781847429148

1847429149

OCLC:

779864837